Category: Milo’s Picks

Remington’s TAC-14 Marine Magnum strikes a balance between power, performance and resistance to the elements. Nickel plating on all metal surfaces ensures you have the power of Remington’s 870 platform in an all weather take anywhere firearm. The Remington 870’s action is often stated as legendary, for many of the World’s police and military organizations that title was hard earned on the battlefields.

The Remington 870 TAC-14 Marine Magnum offers unsurpassed protection for home, truck, boat or other application where tight quarters are the norm. Featuring Magpul furniture and Raptor grip you’ll have no problem navigating any situation.

Long before the Glock 19 and the 9mm movement of the 80’s there lived another Combat Pistol with the designation of Model 19. For decades if you were a gun fighter you carried a model S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum, there simply wasn’t any substitute. Many other pistols over the years have borrowed very heavily on the Combat Magnum or as it was later known the S&W Model 19. None of the copy cat guns ever matched the S&W Model 19’s accuracy or stopping power of the full house .357 Magnum. It’s still rated as a higher than 90% one shot stop against a bad guy in a world saturated with 9mm multi shot fails.

Bad guys get away or live after being shot 13 times with today’s modern 9mm handguns so one has to wonder if more capacity is better than the wheel guns of yesterday.

Smith & Wesson created a legend when they created the Combat Magnum, and many of those early guns still exist today albeit at a premium to collectors. Features such as pinned and recessed barrels and cylinders are common place on the S&W right up to the 80’s. A quality S&W Model 19 Combat Magnum in it’s original box will demand a nice price in good condition but they are well worth it.

The Gun Room Inc. usually has one or two Combat Magnums in stock but as the trend to acquire good guns continues in America they only become more collectible and valuable.

This week Milo has taken a shine to the Steyr AUG A3 Bullpup in .223 caliber. Some of you might recognize the Steyr AUG from SciFi and action movies, and some of you might have seen one in passing and thought “Cool gun!”.

The Gun Room Inc. has the new Steyr AUG MUD Stock High Rail

The family of Steyr weapons goes back to before the 1400’s so they know a thing or two about tools of the trade.

Many variations of the Steyr AUG have been fielded by over 30 countries and several states in over 8 wars and countless conflicts. Battle proven is an understatement when talking about the Steyr AUG and it’s variants. The popularity of the Steyr AUG meant it was only a matter of time before there was a civilian version of it available to purchase. The civilian version looks exactly like the military weapon but that’s where the similarities end. The Steyr AUG A3 civilian legal version can’t shoot in full auto like it’s military counterpart, only semi-auto.

In a pro’s hands these “bullpups” are handy in vehicles, close quarters, and maritime missions because their diminutive size over all makes maneuvering tight and restricted areas a breeze. The strength of the design is the receiver, barrel and bolt all fit into the stock allowing for a full sized rifle to take up less overall length and size than a collapsed m4.

Swapping out the barrel to engage targets at medium to long range one merely has to lock the bolt back, push a button and twist out the barrel assembly to swap it for a longer one. This ability to quick change into a designated marksman rifle with the push of a button means that the operator can conduct missions that are ever changing without having to carry extra weapons for the purpose.

In Milo’s eyes it’s just a cool looking gun that’s really fun to shoot with friends. Some argue that Steyr was very likely the originator of the plastic or as they market to today’s youth, “polymer gun”.

Give Milo’s pick of the week the once over in our showroom and see what the Steyr AUG brings to the table.

It’s a family affair here at The Gun Room Inc., always has been, probably always will be. The Gun Room Inc.’s family is both literal and figurative, we are three generations and growing. All of our customers are also family here and quite a few of our fine firearms come from the very same customers in our ever growing family.

When It comes to Colt the family tree has roots in the beginning all the way to present. From first U.S. issue to modern versions of old classics The Gun Room Inc. has a Colt for you. Yes we sell other fine firearms besides Colt, but when you are talking single action you can’t have a serious discussion with out mentioning Colt and their legendary pistols.

When The Gun Room Inc.’s patriarch founded the company in the early 60’s he had no idea how big his family would grow but he did know a good pistol when he saw one. The Gun Room Inc. has been the Colt resource of Portland for over 50 years and as such has always had just what the aspiring collector was looking for. To see our ever changing collection of Colt single action pistols stop by our store on SE Foster Rd. and put a piece of history in your hand.

Recently I was invited to go shoot the new Smith & Wesson M&P Pro Series 2.0 with Mike from Threat Solutions. When opportunities come up I generally take them, especially when they involve new and shiny stuff. Being who I am I also took the opportunity to bring along a Smith & Wesson 640-1 .357 Magnum and the Smith & Wesson M&P R8 .357 Magnum just to show my wheel gun skills off.

The 2.0 came equipped with night sights that did the job out of the box, no adjustments were required and fit/finish seemed better than a lot of after market specials. On the sides there are ambi slide stops which made my typical drill of both hands and both eyes much easier.

Ever since I was a young boy in Detroit I was told to train for any circumstance and that it should include being incapacitated on one side. This little nugget of info given to me by my uncle the kung fu guy has proved invaluable throughout my military career and in civilian life. The Smith & Wesson 2.0 must have had the same uncle because it just worked every time no matter what.

The much touted S&W 2.0 trigger was a decided improvement over the original and didn’t leave my finger tip buzzing like with a Glock, Spingfield or Apex trigger.

The trigger reset was very positive leaving no ambiguity in a stressful scenario as to what condition it was in. Grips and fit are based on the work for the modular handgun system project and it reflects their attention to detail in this regard. I very much preferred the S&W 2.0 over the Glock gen 5 in the way it fits your hand. The S&W feels almost as good as a 1911 does.

The Smith & Wesson 2.0 comes with a polished feed ramp that engages about halfway down on round nose ammo. Feeding the latest defensive hollow points happens without a hitch and should outlast all the current trends in ammo.

Recoil impulse wasn’t even part of the picture in the 4.25″ barreled version I was testing. Not being afraid of recoil will undoubtably make the shooter better and less likely to pick up bad practices like flinching.

Yes the Smith & Wesson 2.0 seems to stack up to all of the marketing on the subject and is closer to perfection out of the box than the other firearm maker’s claims.

It should be noted that Smith & Wesson, Threat Solutions, and The Gun Room Inc. didn’t pay for me to write any part of this little 2 minute review. No ammunition was provided and no I didn’t get a t-shirt or sticker either. This was merely an opportunity to go shooting and as a rule I don’t like plastic guns. But…. if I was to consider throwing money at a cheap plastic gun I’d probably throw it at the S&W 2.0 Pro Series.

Gun retailers have been noticing a supply shortage of Colt 1911’s chambered in 38 Super recently. Colt’s on hand supply is near zero at this point and it’s causing a drive to snap up the remaining models in local gun stores. Thankfully The Gun Room Inc. has a goodly supply in the 38 Super caliber with all levels of fit and finish but that supply can’t last long.

The venerable (and I hate to use the word venerable because it’s become synonymous with gun writing) 38 Super is a caliber that many people don’t know about or simply don’t know any actionable intel on. Delivering more power than a 9mm and better accuracy, it’s simply passed up because of logistical decisions back in the early 1900’s influencing gun mentality today. In simple terms 20th century governments and finally NATO “settled” on 9mm because it was smaller and cheaper as a cartridge to produce and ship. Enter today’s wiz bang firearm marketing teams and suddenly you must have a 9mm despite its lack of performance in the battle space or any stopping power to speak of.

The 38 Super’s history and genesis is one borne of necessity, not cheapness. Gangsters were making headway into our civilized society and the anemic 9mm wasn’t getting the job done. The cops simply needed better more powerful guns. For about 14 years the 38 Super reigned supreme and was the caliber of choice for law enforcement, that is until 1934 when it was eclipsed by the .357 Magnum for power.

Colt’s 38 Super 1911 has been in the background ever since only making appearances in America when people rediscover the supremacy it offers over wimpy 9mm loads or in competitive shooting winning prizes. Worth note is once you leave America the 38 Super gains ground significantly over the 9mm or similar round. In Australia the 38 Super reigns supreme as it does in Mexico and the Americas because it’s a gun you can own. A few countries don’t allow citizens to own calibers that the military uses and lucky for them, their militaries use the cheaper less effective 9mm!

Yes the smack talking and maligning of the often misunderstood 38 Super gets to be pretty deep with so-called experts pushing you in the direction of the zombie apocalypse caliber or the “Red Dawn” option without any real understanding. Sure get a 9mm, heck get two, but do yourself a favor and go shoot the 38 Super. The most common side effect is that you’re puzzled you haven’t gotten a 38 Super yet. If you are scratching your head and thinking I’m full of it, you’re always going to be able to get a 38 Super you’re probably right. But…, just in case the 38 Super is in short supply, go on down to The Gun Room Inc. and get you one!

If it’s one thing I hear myself saying more than not while at a gun store it’s I like the cowboy stuff. Call it what you will but I grew up on western movies and the guns they used always have had an appeal to me. A tactical pistol to me is a Schofield, and an assault rifle has a lever and a tube magazine. Before the plastic guns and stamped out metal and MIM manufacturing craftsmen worked their trade by hand with iron and wood. The time it took to fabricate a mechanism without modern tools and ovens meant this was more an art than a trade.

Gunmakers in the 1800’s changed the world as we knew it then and helped forge the time we live in now. Metallurgy really wasn’t a thing taught in schools it was learned by master to apprentice for centuries adding to the skillset and knowledge base going forward one generation at a time.

Take this example of a Colt pistol, it was one of the first one hundred sent to the U.S. and it marked a quantum leap forward in production of working art.

Do the notches on the barrel tell part of it’s tale? How many battles did this old Colt see?

I’ve always been partial to lever guns and it’s really hard not to be. While the revolver put power right into your hand it was limited to close combat and lacked accuracy at any distance. The lever guns had longer barrels and that meant higher pressures and better accuracy even if chambered in the same round as the pistol. This enabled better fighting distances and advantage over pistols, arrows, sticks and stones. Lever guns harvested game, killed the bad guys, and provided endless hours of entertainment whilst out on the range.

The TV shows I watched had cowboys who could shoot faster, better and farther than anyone else with a good rifle and a handful of lead. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was the entertainment medium of the 1800’s day featuring harrowing tales of the Wild West. Actors who were more often than not real cowboys, Indians and gunslingers alike took to the field to tell the stories that became legend to throngs. Conchos and rawhide added to the spectacle but what the people really came to see was the riders and the guns. If you were lucky you were able to see Annie Oakley or Buffalo Bill himself shoot guns like this one during the show.

Getting down to brass tacks can mean getting to the heart of a thing, it could mean putting the final touches on a coffin or simply a way to affix leather to wood. One thing I know for certain a number of guns display the afore-mentioned “brass tack” on the Buffalo Bill Winchester rifle above such as this coach gun below.

We’re getting down to brass tacks indeed!

Yes the cowboy was a lot of things to a lot of people, consider the 101 Ranch Rifle in the next series of photos. The 101 Ranch was a lot of things and it was in grand ole style too! Consider the 101,000 acre ranch it’s self with livestock, orchards, general stores, cowboys, Indians, etc., and you begin to see what was going on in the 1800’s. The need for entertainment meant that the 101 Ranch and Buffalo Bill would come together with Apache Indian Geronimo shooting buffalo from a car, as the entertainment business took the proverbial spotlight. If the Millers would have known that they were helping to bring film to life and their inevitable downfall as a result they wouldn’t have had to auction off the property and the items collected over the years when the ranch floundered.

Now all that remains of the world famous 101 Ranch is a picnic area and historic landmark in Ponca City. This original three gun set is about as cowboy as it gets and The Gun Room Inc. has it. Three gun events are the next thing in competitive shooting and a heck of a lot of fun I’m told. I’d like to give it a whirl myself with these guns!

The Browning Winchester 1886 is my go to gun and I have a pretty nice one I probably shouldn’t shoot but, why not? To me the old Winchester really shines as a star in the firearms world.

Imagine shooting silver bullets or hot lead the 1886 would kill anything on the planet and made man the king of all he surveyed.

The Winchester 1895 (that’s right I said 1895 not 1894) below is a bit modern for my tastes but it is a gorgeous gun I’d be lucky to have. This old girl is rare and in excellent condition but hey I’m taking gun pictures at The Gun Room Inc. and they broke these last two for me because they know my style! It’s always nice to be treated with cool stuff when you go into a gun store!

When you go to a real gun shop where the world doesn’t revolve around selling mass quantities of the same pablum like you get at anti-septic big box stores the shop and the customer have time to interact.

Sitting around a campfire casting bullets and interacting with one another was what was done on the range. The original three gun bull session over a pot of cowboy coffee compares to where the now ubiquitous online review got its roots. The original network, human interaction and exchange of ideas. I surely miss the spam free days before cell phones and the internet under the stars by the fire dreaming cowboy dreams.

To see these rifles in person and many others the younger kids haven’t heard of stop by ;

Cobalt Kinetics, Allegiant Rifleworks, Taya Kyle, The Chris Kyle Frog Foundation and The Gun Room Inc. bring to you The Chris Kyle “Legend” Collection. These rare numbered rifles pay tribute to the Legend, The American Sniper, the man, our country, family and God.

You don’t have to be a US Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator like Chris Kyle to appreciate the attention to detail and phenomenal fit and finish of this rifle collection. The folks at Cobalt Kinetics take pride in what they do and the painstaking detail of each and every part from the BCG down to muzzle proves it. I served in the Navy, and I knew more than a few frogs in my time. There wasn’t anything close to what this collection encompasses today in any armory anywhere back then. Anyone YOU would be proud to own and shoot these guns even without the striking graphical treatments by Allegiant Rifleworks based on their flawless function alone.

Sure, it doesn’t hurt they look really cool. They stand out from the rest of the AR market like a bikini clad redhead in a hijab filled bazaar. Nope, if anything they look cool and beg you to pick them up. Each rifle has it’s own thing going on from the “Chief” to the “300 Blacked Out”, the “Signature” and “Glory”.

(Images Below)

If you happen to be by Portland Oregon you owe it to yourself to stop in and get a look at these beauties for yourself. The rifles I had for the photos are already sold and I haven’t shown the pictures to anyone yet even. They were sold at Shot Show before anyone knew about them except the people mentioned above. The real point is don’t miss an opportunity because the don’t come by every day. I can still hear the Chiefs yelling at me to get moving “What’s the matter, too much air and opportunity in your way?!”. A lot of what I personally took with me from my military service is with me in daily life and missing an opportunity just isn’t done.

The Cobalt Kinetics AR15 is undoubtedly the best of the bunch by a long shot and the Legend Collection takes it up a notch even further. If you are a serious guy or gal who wants one or all of the rifles shown above don’t let the air and opportunity stand in your way. These rifles are small batch and once they are gone they are gone for good. Give The Gun Room Inc. a call (503)777-3931 and get your own “Legend” rifle.

This fine example of a Winchester Model 1876 Centennial Model is chambered in 45-75 having more power than the older pistol caliber carbines of its time. Carried by warriors such as Theodore Roosevelt, Geronimo, the Texas Rangers, Canada’s Mounties and many others the Centennial Rifle by Winchester was the biggest and baddest rifle until the release of Browning’s 1886 by Winchester.

Capable of stopping big and dangerous game as well the bad guys at the time, Winchester’s 1876 is highly collectible and exceedingly rare in the market place. This original Winchester 1876 is as rare as a unicorn. To be able to find a Winchester 1876 in any condition is rare to find, one suitable to have restoration work done by Turnbull Restorations is rare. This firearm qualifies as very rare indeed and has been to Turnbull Restorations for some minor work. Showing as fine today as the day Winchester made it you will be stunned at this museum quality piece.

No paperwork required! This is an original Winchester 1876 and it won’t be here at The Gun Room Inc. too long before a discerning collector makes it part of a collection. To speak to The Gun Room Inc. about this very rare Winchester 1876 call (503)777-3931 and ask to speak to Warren.

We’ve all wondered about the Cobalt Kinetics line of firearms but for many of us it’s hard to justify the price for what seems at first nothing more than another AR-15. Guys like me like what we like and if you’re me that means you were never impressed with the AR-15 as a whole. I’m no one special, and I’m certainly not the last word of gun powder and steel, but I’m also no slouch. I’ve worn a uniform, a lab coat, and a wetsuit, and yes I’ve fired a shot or two in the time I’ve enjoyed being alive. When I met one of the guys from Cobalt Kinetics while on a visit to Portland Oregon’s The Gun Room Inc. I really couldn’t be bothered with another look at yet another attempt at tacticool crap. I must have seemed like a real jerk but he hung in there and to his credit he sold me a rifle as part of The Gun Room Inc.’s stocking order.

Not only did I drink the dreaded AR-Aide I drank deep with a Cobalt Kinetics custom “Edge” model in my colors and specs. When it came in I was excited, it was Christmas time so I felt like a very good boy on Santa’s list rewarded as such. I took it home and left it there until last Sunday. I was tagging along with Threat-Solutions on a training session for a father and daughter looking to revive grandpa’s old guns for an upcoming hunt. They were very excited to learn about guns and I was excited just to sit and watch Threat-Solutions give a fantastic beginner level class. Mike suggested that I bring a rifle to shoot and my mind immediately went to my Browning 1886 in 45-70, my favorite rifle of all time and also my most expensive.

I’m not sure of where things went wrong but I ended up with my Cobalt Kinetics Edge and several mismatched AR-15 magazines loaded with various 5.56mm and .223 cal ammo. Everything from old steel mags with tarnished brass, to P mags and ballistic tipped screamers. As things were winding down in Threat-Solutions’ class I remembered I stashed my gear under Mike’s truck to keep it out of Oregon’s liquid sky, but the actual Sun was shining now.

On the rickety wooden table sat my Cobalt Kinetics Edge with the Sun’s full brightness shining along its literal edge. It seemed as if the whole thing was one solid piece it showed no lines where it was put together, it didn’t rattle when shook, it was magnificent in fit and finish. How did this big middle finger to shoddy gunsmiths sit locked away so long in my vault of forgotten toys? I stuck on a 3X9 tactical scope grabbed a mag and dropped the bolt to a resonating ring emanating from the monolithic like design. The level of precision in the Cobalt Kinetics impressed even me and I can measure in angstrom units. (look it up)

The first shot I took hit the crude six inch circle I drew on an overly big piece of paper at 125 yards. Patting myself on the back and not the Cobalt Kinetics team, I fired three more shots on an actual target while adjusting the elevation and windage. Satisfied with a center hit I dumped the mag fast enough for the other people at the range to stop and watch. Mag after mag fell to the table while never once taking my eye off the prize utilizing the Cobalt Kinetics patented dual drop buttons instead of the bolt release.

I was utterly and completely bored with the whole experience, every one of those rounds made a pattern the size of a quarter. I’m a good shot, but I can’t be that good, can I? Well I’m not, but the Cobalt Kinetics is, out of the box even. Mike was finishing up and came over so I asked him to shoot a few so I could get some pics for my Facebook page. His experience was the same as mine, except he’s a better shot and his was about the size of a dime for a 30 round mag off hand while walking. Boring! Cobalt Kinetics’ Edge does not disappoint, it’s the finest fitting and best shooting AR-15 money will buy today at any price. You won’t build one better no matter how good you think you are or how many missions you were part of. The Cobalt Kinetics Edge shouldn’t even be called an AR-15, it’s so much better that it’s singular in the market.

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

I took the Cobalt Kinetics Edge back to The Gun Room Inc. since I was driving through anyway and gave the old grumpy geezers my first impression after shooting it for the first time. When I said it was boring to shoot they just looked at me not knowing how that could be true. Then I explained what I meant by boring, Cobalt Kinetics made a rifle anyone can shoot. That in it’s self should say it all, anyonecan shoot the Cobalt Kinetics Edge. All those decades of practice seem wasted or would have been if Cobalt Kinetics made guns back when I wore a uniform at age 17.

I’m told when local vet and all around good guy “Big Tony” overheard Shaun from The Gun Room Inc. talking to Cobalt Kinetics about how boring my experience was he bought one to see if his mileage would vary. It didn’t, Big Tony’s outing was the exact same as mine and that of Mike’s from Threat-Solutions, one small hole. More precisely and let’s emphasize precise here, one smaller than AR-15 sized hole.

Big Tony with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Big Tony with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

In full disclosure Cobalt Kinetics didn’t pay me for this post, they probably think I’m a jerk because of the way I treated them, all apologies to Cobalt Kinetics you earned your place at the big table. The Gun Room Inc. didn’t pay me in ammo, money or beef jerky to post this article either, apologies to them as well for treating their vendor so poorly (my bad guys). Obviously there are a lot of us out there who just haven’t ever had the chance to hold, own, or shoot a rifle this good who weren’t royalty of some sort. Cobalt Kinetics has made a rifle anyone can shoot and anyone can own, they have changed the very nature of firearms with the Edge Rifle.

Big Tony with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Big Tony with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

Threat-Solutions with the Cobalt Kinetics Edge

I’m not a dealer for Cobalt Kinetics so give the folks at The Gun Room Inc. a call to get one, their number is (503)777-3931. If you want to talk training at any level talk to Mike at Threat-Solutions not me, I’m a jerk know it all.